About Us

Mission

Buley Library advances the teaching, learning, scholarship, and research mission of the University by providing user-centered services, comprehensive and diverse collections, dynamic learning spaces, evolving technologies, and opportunities to create and discover.

Vision

To cultivate academic excellence and scholarly inquiry within an inclusive, innovative environment dedicated to community engagement, student success, and research discovery.

Amy Beth
Director of Library Services

betha1@southernct.edu
203-392-5760

Jane Deluca
Administrative Assistant

100 + databases and electronic collections

500,000 + items including books, serials and serial back files, microforms, maps, government documents, rare books, video media, and more

Five floors including two computer labs, large open seating spaces, a cafe, an art gallery, a library instruction classroom, and quiet rooms for individual or group study

Rare Book Room/Special Collections

See our Impact Dashboard to view more statistics.

The SCSU Library is named after former President Hilton C. Buley, who led the university from 1954-1971. On October 31, 1970, about four months before his retirement, Southern celebrated the opening and dedication of the library in his honor.

Many of the modern features in the library reflected Dr. Buley’s reputation as a pioneer in advancing technological instruction. The space featured playback phones to explain how to use library resources and housed a computer center for instruction and data processing needs. Under his leadership, the university was among the first in the nation to offer courses on television, and was a leader in the development of multi-media instruction. The library also featured shelves for 500,000 volumes and flexible space that could be converted, if necessary, to accommodate double that number.

In the eighties, however, the library was frequently closed for renovations and concurrently suffered from insufficient budgeting. In 1992, it was cited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) as lagging behind as compared with the rest of the university, which prompted the two decades of improvements.

The $31 million renovation project enables the university to boast a library that is 245,000 square feet, which includes the original wing, as well as the 135,000 square foot addition that was completed in 2008. It also includes a new 12,000-square-foot area encompassing an atrium and skywalk connecting the two sections of the building on the first and third floors.